What I Really Do in the Middle of the Night

It doesn't take much to get me off track.  I started the night by canning pureed tomato, and at two-thirty in the morning I'm now looking into how I would keep pheasants in the back yard.

Here is the general train of thought: I really like making my own food.  I love the idea of eating fresh things.  Oh, I drove past that 'farm fresh eggs' sign today.  I wonder how much they cost.  Probably a lot.  Eggs are expensive enough as it is.  I wonder if it would be cheaper to just keep my own chickens.  Can we even keep chickens here?  I don't think so, but I'll look it up.  HOLY SMOKE WE CAN KEEP GAME BIRDS.  Wait.  What are game birds, anyway?  Pheasants and quail are.  I wonder if we can eat pheasant eggs.  Hey, cool, they're green!  Oh, right, eating eggs.  Yes, we can.  Maybe I could keep pheasants instead of chickens.  Oh crap, I forgot about taking out the jars of tomato.  At least the stove is off.  Wait, did I turn off the other burner?

There was more than that, bits in between and then what got me to blogging, but that's about the gist of it.

But anyway.

I think that there are two things that really pique my interest when it comes to keeping fowl.  The first is that "game birds" are okay on residential properties where we are, but "poultry", which includes chickens and turkeys, is not.  We can only keep obnoxious birds.  (Curiouser and curiouser, as a certain young lady would say; bonus points if you can name her.)

The second thing is a little less curious: it's the idea of being that little bit more self-sufficient and 'homegrown'.  Having decided to go for a real food diet, I think it would be nice to know that my eggs are coming from my own birds, and that I know (almost) exactly what's going into said birds should I decide to turn them into a lovely roast or stew.

Logistically, though, pheasants would be a nightmare.  There's the initial outlay that goes with building a coop and run.  There's also upkeep, which costs money and takes time.  Then there's going away, like I mentioned.  Who in the world would be willing to take care of my pheasants for a week at a time while we're gone?

On the other hand (I think), there's the payoff.  I figure that we spend about 130$ a year on eggs, if we buy a dozen a week at 2.50$ a dozen.  Is it worth it to have pheasants?  Time notwithstanding, will I be spending more on birdie upkeep than I would be on store bought eggs?  If I am, maybe the freshness would be worth the extra money.  Quality, quality, quality.

Don't get me wrong.  Pheasants are out of the question, as fascinating as the idea is.  For one, I have SO MUCH spare time (end sarcasm), and for two, I like to be able to leave the house for a few days at a time.  Pheasants just aren't accommodating that way, and they're definitely time-taker-uppers.

Also, as someone pointed out, "They're gonna sh*t on everything you love."

Yes.

Yes they will.